Rippee Conservation Area: hunting and access
Rippee Conservation Area is 439 acres of MDC land in Douglas County, 7 miles from Wasola. MDC lists deer hunting here (archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed). Hunters checked 3,695 deer in Douglas County in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MDC's conservation area data, read 2026-10. Harvest: MDC deer harvest summaries, 2021 to 2025.
MDC conservation areasNational forestLand trusts and other open landRippee Conservation AreaCounty lineLakeHighway
| Size | 439 acres in 3 pieces |
|---|---|
| County | Douglas County |
| Deer harvest unit | Douglas County |
| MDC lists for hunting | Deer, Bear, Turkey, Rabbit, Squirrel, Dove and Quail |
| MDC area number | 6412 |
| MDC region | Ozark |
| Camping (MDC) | designated camping sites and individual campsites |
| Nearest towns | Wasola (7 mi), Ava (11 mi) and Norwood (16 mi) |
What is Rippee Conservation Area like?
Rippee Conservation Area is at the junction of Rippee and Bryant Creeks in central Douglas County. This tract is about 15 miles east of Ava off Highway 14.
The site has a lively history, which includes Indian Camps, Civil War skirmishes and a large pioneer settlement supported by a major wagon road. The forest is a mixture of oak-hickory, short leaf pine, and bottomland hardwood trees. There is a dolomite glade on a steep, south-facing slope above a 50-foot bluff to the north of Bryant Creek. Glades are rocky openings in forests or woodlands mainly on south or west slopes. Bedrock is at or near the land surface in glades, and the shallow soil layer supports dwarfed trees and nonwoody plants. Little bluestem grass and Missouri coneflower aretwo types of plants that grow here. There is also a seep on the glade. Plants growing here include Venus' hair fern and grass of Parnassus. The upper part of the glade is dolomite and sandstone and grades into a sandstone forest/savanna. About 18 acres (1.5 miles of creek and buffer zone) of the Rippee...
In MDC's words, from the Rippee Conservation Area page.
What can you hunt on Rippee Conservation Area?
MDC's page for Rippee Conservation Area lists: Deer: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed; Bear: archery and firearms; Turkey: archery and firearms; Rabbit; Squirrel; Dove; Quail.
What are the rules on Rippee Conservation Area?
MDC's standard conservation area rules (Chapter 11 of the Wildlife Code) apply; the area's rules on MDC's site list any it adds.
How many deer are taken around Rippee Conservation Area?
Rippee Conservation Area lies in Douglas County. Hunters checked 3,695 deer in Douglas County in 2025, against 3,048 in 2024.
| County | Rippee Conservation Area acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Deer, 2024 | Deer, 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County | 439 | 3,695 | 3,048 | 4,138 |
Harvest for the whole county, not the conservation area alone: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
How do you get to Rippee Conservation Area?
MDC's directions: From Ava, take Highway 14 east 11 miles, then County Road 328 south 1.50 miles.
Nearest towns: Wasola (7 miles), Ava (11 miles), Norwood (16 miles) and Mansfield (17 miles). Highways within 5 miles: MO 14.
What other public land is near Rippee Conservation Area?
MDC lands within 10 miles:
- Vera Cruz Access: 79 acres, 2.2 miles away
- Shannon Ranch Conservation Area: 1,572 acres, 8.1 miles away
- Caney Mountain Conservation Area: 7,977 acres, 9.5 miles away
Public land within 3 miles of Rippee Conservation Area
Counting Rippee Conservation Area itself, 520 of the 29,786 acres within 3 miles of its boundary are public land open to the public (1.7%), by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries.
| Manager | Acres within 3 miles |
|---|---|
| MDC conservation areas | 518 |
| Land trusts and other open land | 2 |
Questions hunters ask
Where is Rippee Conservation Area?
In Douglas County, 7 miles from Wasola.
Can you deer hunt on Rippee Conservation Area?
Yes, by MDC's page: archery and firearms, antlerless permits allowed.
How much public land is around Rippee Conservation Area?
520 acres within 3 miles of its boundary, Rippee Conservation Area included, by USGS PAD-US 4.1 and MDC conservation area boundaries. The closest other MDC area is Vera Cruz Access (2.2 miles).
Get a Missouri hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Missouri are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Missouri included.
Where these facts come from
- Area description, species, rules and directions: MDC, Rippee Conservation Area; MDC conservation area boundaries.
- Boundary and acres: MDC's map layer above. Surrounding public land: USGS PAD-US 4.1 (fee land open to the public) and MDC conservation area boundaries.
- Deer harvest: MDC deer harvest summaries (2021 to 2025 seasons).
FilledTag is not part of the Missouri Department of Conservation. Check MDC's rules and posted signs before you go.